About Unity Faith

What Is Unity?

Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus, and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual's right to choose their own

spiritual path.

God

We believe that God is Spirit; the loving source of all that is. God is the one power, all good, everywhere present. God is divine energy, continually creating, expressing and sustaining all there is. In God, we live and move and have our being. In Unity, some other ways we refer to God are: Life, Light, Love, Substance, Law, Universe, and Universal Mind.

Jesus

We do believe in the divinity of Jesus... as we believe in the divinity of all people. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths; as sort of an elder brother and way-shower. In Unity, we use the term "Christ" to mean the divinity in humankind. Jesus is a great example of the Christ in expression.

The Nature of Humankind

We are each individual, eternal expressions of God. "Made in His image and likeness," our essential nature is divine, and therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.

The Bible

Unity co-founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible as history and allegory, and interpreted it as a metaphysical representation of humankind's evolutionary journey toward spiritual awakening. In addition, Unity recognizes that the Bible is a complex collection of writings compiled over many centuries. We honor the writings as reflecting the understanding and inspiration of the writers at the time they were written. The Bible continues to be a valuable spiritual resource for us.

Our Teachings

Unity teaches that each person is a unique expression of God created with sacred worth. Living from that awareness transforms our lives, and the world. Unity emphasizes the creative power of thought in our life experience. We refer to this as the Law of Mind Action. (See "The Secret") Unity emphasizes the importance of applying spiritual principles and practices in our daily lives. When we take personal responsibility to choose life affirming thoughts, words and actions, we experience more fulfillment and abundance. Unity teachings continue to evolve as we identify, embrace and apply spiritual insights, and the spiritual implications of new discoveries.

From Oprah...

In this touching interview, first aired on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday show, Dr. Maya Angelou discusses her experience with her Unity church and the ideas in Lessons in Truth, a classic Unity text; the revelation that changed her life.

About Unity Practices

Five Principles

1. God is all good and active in everything, everywhere.

2. I am naturally good because God's Divinity is in me and everywhere.

3. I create my experiences by what I choose to think and what I feel and believe.

4. Through affirmative prayer and meditation, I connect with God and bring out the good in my life.

5. I do and give my best by living the Truth I know. I make a difference!

Meditation

Through meditation, we are able to fully experience the presence of God - within and all around us. We believe that meditation heightens our spiritual awareness, and therefore transforms our lives. We practice meditation during every Sunday celebration, and frequently host meditation groups, classes, and workshops at the center for those who want to deepen their personal understandings.

Affirmative Prayer

In Unity, affirmative prayer is regarded as the highest form of creative thought. It includes the release of counterproductive, negative thoughts (Denials) as well as holding in mind statements of spiritual Truth (Affirmations.) Each and every member of Unity of Central Massachusetts is assigned their own personal Prayer Chaplain, who is available to them for ongoing prayer and support. A prayer chaplain is also available to anyone who would like to pray directly following our Sunday celebrations.

Diversity

We believe that all people are created with sacred worth. Therefore, we recognize the importance of serving ALL people, in spiritually and emotionally caring ways. Our ministries and outreaches are free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity, physical disability, or sexual orientation. We respect the wonderful variety of human commitments and relationships, and honor the strength of diversity in our spiritual communities.

*Adopted by Unity School of Christianity and the Association of Unity Churches, January 23, 1995

Statement for Peace

Unity stands for peace in the presence of conflict; for love in the presence of hatred; for forgiveness in the presence of injury. Unity honors the many names for God, the many paths to God, the many ways to worship God; for there is only one power and presence of God, and God loves each one of us equally. It is therefore the position of Unity to urge all nations, their leaders, and their people to turn to God (by whatever the name) for guidance during these challenging times and pursue peace, not war, for this is what honors the God of all of our faith traditions. Unity stands for Heaven on Earth; for peace in our lifetime.

*Adopted by: Unity School of Christianity and the Association of Unity Churches, February 1, 2003

UCM Children's Program

Unity beholds all children as whole and perfect expressions of God. Unity empowers all children to reach their divine potential, teaches them to meditate & pray, invites them to experience a loving God, and provides a strong spiritual foundation for the rest of their lives. Our children at UCM are an integral part of our Sunday celebrations, with story times, sharing times, blessings, and more! They are also invited to specialized classes and programs (see Youth & Family Ministries.) At Unity, we recognize there are many expressions of family life. We also encourage our special needs children to participate in any and every aspect of our programming with their peers. ALL are welcome!